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Renovating Your Lawn

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Donna W. Moramarco

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Remove dead grass
Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening
The first step is to eliminate grass and weeds.
Are you tired of mowing that specimen patch of weed? Have diseases and insects destroyed your once-green slice of heaven? Wish you could walk barefoot on your grass and actually enjoy the feeling of it between your toes? Late summer through early fall is an ideal time to establish a new, healthy, barefoot-friendly lawn. (So if you’ve been putting the project off, consider yourself smart for waiting – because the time to start is now!)

Whether you’re seeding or sodding, you know there’s gonna be some work involved. Actually, to be honest, you’ll need more than a little elbow grease to get the job done right. But the end results can be so gratifying, making all that hard work well-worth it!

So where do you begin a total lawn renovation? First step: You’ll need to eliminate all existing grass and weeds. There are several ways you can do this. One is you can use a nonselective weed killer (AKA herbicide) like RoundUp®. (This product in particular is quick-acting – you’ll see the grass and weeds dying after a few days of using it.) But a word of caution about nonselective weed killers: They can kill whatever they come in contact with! So avoid using these products on hot (above 85 degrees F) and/or windy days. And it goes without saying (but I’m gonna say it anyway): Always read the label first and follow directions to a tee!

Warnings
  • Use caution whenever applying a weed killer. Always read and carefully follow label instructions!
Facts
  • Grasses are divided into two types: cool season and warm season. Cool-season grasses have better color when temperatures are cool (below 75 degrees F). They’re typically planted in the North and Midwest. Warm-season grasses grow best in higher temperatures (80-95 degrees F), so they’re better for regions like the South.
  • Late summer through early fall is the ideal time to start a new lawn. Warm days followed by cooler nights (and generally predictable rainfall) make for ideal germinating and growing conditions for cool-season grasses.
Tips
  • Before you add lime to your soil, have a pH test done to determine if it’s needed first (and if so, how much you’ll need). If you have the time, have a complete soil nutrient test done. Your local Cooperative Extension can help you with this.
 
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